"An Engineering Based Approach to Science and Math Instruction" was a
collaboration between the SMTC and the UW Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering. The two-week workshop introduced teachers from
school districts in Wyoming and Idaho to campus to try out innovative
lesson plans and in-class activities that can be adapted to different
grade levels.

It is funded by a Title II grant from the Wyoming Department of
Education. Participating teachers will receive on-site and telephone
support from engineering faculty and graduate students during the
2008-09 academic year, to ensure successful implementation in the
classroom.

Many learner-friendly lesson plans and other resources exist, but teachers often have trouble locating them.

"They are at the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of
Education, the Department of Energy, professional societies, even some
large corporations," Sadrul Ula, professor of electrical and computer
engineering and workshop coordinator, says. "They have a lot of science
and mathematics lesson plans, it's just that teachers don't have the
time to go and find those."

Engineering graduate and undergraduate students tested lesson plans
and activities on a variety of topics ranging from solar and hydrogen
energy to electromagnetics and bioengineering. The team then led
participants through hands-on trials of several selected experiments
while they were on campus.

The teachers will provide input on which units offer the greatest
potential for use in the classroom and help determine which activities
will be developed for further development for broader use across
Wyoming.

Interweaving the hands-on assignments were a series of lectures
featuring faculty experts from the Colleges of Engineering and
Education, as well as field trips to a wind farm near Arlington, Wyo.;
the Missouri Basin Power Project near Wheatland, Wyo.; and the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo. Tours highlighted the types
of resources available in or near teachers' home communities.

Participating in the Laramie-based workshop is the first step for the
teachers. Grant funding also provides follow-up support for applying
what they learned in an instructional setting.

Teachers reflected on a range of reasons for participating in the
program. Connie Klements, a teacher at Laramie Junior High School, sees
the potential for engaging her special education students in richer
ways.

"It's a lot of hands-on work," Klements says. "Special ed kids need
hands-on activities so that they can understand better what is going
on."

Lisa Vail of Blackfoot, Idaho, who coordinates a district-wide
program for gifted students in grades 3-6, saw the workshop as an
opportunity to expand her knowledge to help students.

"I was very interested in coming, to get a wider base for engineering
possibilities," Vail explained, "to guide them toward whatever they
would like to do, and get them to the right sources."

Jim Moore, who teaches science at Starrett Junior High School in
Riverton, saw the experience as a resource for helping students create
broader visions of their future.

"These are enrichment activities that will, hopefully, get them
interested in something that will at least get them thinking about
college -- what they want to do, where they wan to go," Moore says. "If
they are interested in engineering or science, we'd be glad for them to
do that."